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Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur says Red Bull should have received a sporting penalty, because “a technical advantage will translate into a sporting advantage”.
After it was announced that Red Bull breached the 2021 budget cap, the FIA handed the team a $7 million fine and a 10 per cent reduction in aero testing time.
Many F1 personalities, including Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, have criticised the FIA for handing the Austrian team such a light penalty, and now Ferrari’s team boss Frederic Vasseur completely blasts the governing organization’s handling of the situation.
“A penalty like last year really isn’t severe,” Vasseur told La Gazzetta Dello Sport.
“If it should be necessary again, such a penalty should be much heavier. You have to keep in mind that a technical advantage will translate into a sporting advantage.
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“Therefore, the penalty should be sporting and not a fine. In soccer, if you use a hand, it’s a penalty… they don’t give you a [non-sporting] penalty.
“The deduction of 10 per cent wind tunnel time is a big joke. They have already done most of the work by then.
“A 5 per cent violation is not small, it is big. If you have a budget of $135 million, $80 million of that already goes to personnel, another $20 million to race costs, materials, brakes and so on.
“Making four chassis at the beginning of the season also costs about $20 million. Then you already arrive at about $120-125 million. This is about the same for everyone.
“That leaves about $10 million to develop. If you go a few million over your budget, then you should not look at the total $135 million, as has been said.
“We should collectively not shove this under the rug, because then you risk it being discussed at the table.
“There is a big difference between an innocent mistake or a choice. A bit like someone making a mistake on their tax return, versus a company arranging something to avoid taxes in a tax haven.
“We have to be tough: this is about the future of the budget cap. Otherwise, everyone is going to do the same thing. Then you free up budget to pay the penalty and say amen.
“The big constructors can afford all this,” Vasseur concluded.
